As an industry that makes over €1.2 billion and contributes 12 per cent to the national GDP and employs over 12,000 people, iGaming is an integral part of life in Malta. With that in mind, iGaming Idol has become the Oscar of the iGaming Industry, a sector that has made Malta the home for gaming excellence.

Now in its third year, the popularity of the event and the demand for participation for sponsorship grew tremendously with the attendance increasing by over 25 per cent between 2017 and 2018. This encouraged the organisers to find a new home to hold the event, and they settled on the Bay Arena at the Intercontinental Hotel in St Julian's.

iGaming Idol is built on three pillars: Recognition of Individuals, Entertainment, and Charity. With regard to the latter, the organisers have raised over €20,000 for the Malta Community Chest Fund Foundation through charity fund-raisers and proceeds from the event this year alone.

Speaking at the Awards, Junior Minister for Financial Services, Digital Economy and Innovation Silvio Schembri referred to iGaming Idol as a staple in the iGaming calendar and an event that rewards excellence to people important to the industry. "We want to embrace and celebrate these achievements and continue to ensure that both home-grown and foreign talent keep having Malta as the launch pad for their iGaming career," he said.

Minister Schembri also announced that, following the published consultation document in March that sparked discussions among stakeholders on the introduction of Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) and virtual currencies, the Malta Gaming Authority is taking things a step further and will be launching a Sandbox for DLT. Schembri concluded his speech by presenting the first-ever 'Hall of Fame' Award to George Debrincat for his dedication to and his proactivity in the industry since its inception.

The night continued with hosts - industry veteran Michael Casselli, head reporter Calvin Ayre, and Coin Geek Rebecca Liggero - announcing the rest of the winners.

, Michael Pederson, CEO of iGaming Idol, said he was overwhelmed by the response of the industry and made it a point to thank all those who contributed to the event. He stated: "iGaming Idol could not have happened without our headline partner Videoslots.com, our Platinum sponsors GamingMalta, IGT, Microgaming and BetConstruct, our Silver sponsor StudioSeven, and the many other sponsors and contributors who have made this, as well as the industry at large, a benchmark in gaming excellence."

The complete list of winners is as follows:

 

CATEGORY	FULL NAME	COMPANY
Hall of Fame	George Debrincat	Kindred Group
Manager Idol of the Year	Ludvig Philip	Mr Green
Casino Idol of the Year	Andy Whitworth	GVC Holding PLC
Customer Service Idol of the Year	Daniela Azzopardi	NetRefer
Affiliate Idol of the Year	Eoin Findlay	Mr Green
SEO Idol of the Year	Milorad Matejic	GIG
Social Media Idol of the Year	Joseph Ryan	Better Collective
VIP Idol of the Year	Anthony Cabrera	GIG
Fraud and Risk Idol of the Year	Kristino Vella	Hero Gaming
Design and User Experience Idol of the Year	María Mora	GIG
Casino Dealer Idol of the Year	Birdzhan Hyuseinova	NetEnt
Compliance and Regulated Markets Idol of the Year	Ian Ince	Playtech
Recruitment Idol of the Year	Alexandra Mirica	NetEnt
Account Manager Idol of the Year	Yvette Grima	The Stars Group
Sales Idol of the Year	Roger Admeus	GIG
Consultant Idol of the Year	Reuben Portanier	Avviza
Office Management Idol of the Year	Arpad Horvat	Mr Green
Payments Idol of the Year	David Borg	Mr Green

 

SPECIAL CATEGORIES	NAME
Employer Branding of the Year	GIG
CEO Idol of the Year	Martin Carlesund, Evolution Gaming
Employer of the Year	Bethard
Outstanding Contribution to the Industry	Ivonne Montealegre, The Malta Poker Festival